Sponsored Links

Follow-Up: Ford Working On A Long-Range EV After All

Sponsored Links

Earlier in the month, Ford Motor Company’s Director of Electrification Programs and Engineering, Kevin Layden, said that the automaker was satisfied with the 100-mile range of the forthcoming 2017 Ford Focus Electric, suggesting that the company would not be pursuing a long-range (200+ miles) battery electric vehicle in the near future.

Mr. Layden’s comments might have been misinterpreted, it turns out, as Ford CEO Mark Fields just recently told analysts that the automaker has no intention of being left behind by the likes of the Chevrolet Bolt or the Tesla Model 3. “We want to make sure that we’re either among the leaders or in a leadership position,” said Fields, according to the Detroit Free Press. “When you look at some of the competitors and what they’ve announced, clearly, that’s something we’re developing for.”

This is in line with reports that Ford Motor Company was hard at work developing a Model 3-fighter named the “Model E,” to enter production late in 2019.

While the comments of Ford Electrification Director Kevin Layden might be true – that a 100-mile electric range would be more than adequate for the daily commutes of the majority of buyers – 200+ miles of range is fast becoming the new norm. Chevy’s Bolt EV will have a range of at least 200 miles, while Tesla Motors is boasting a 215-mile range for the recently-revealed Model 3. Each of these is expected to be priced between $30k and $40k before incentives.

Nissan’s next iteration of the best-selling Leaf EV is also rumored to crack the 200-mile barrier.

“Our approach, very simply, is to make sure we are among the leaders or in a leadership position in the product segments that we are in,” Mark Fields said.

Sponsored Links

— Aaron Brzozowski

Aaron Brzozowski is a writer and motoring enthusiast from Detroit with an affinity for '80s German steel. He is not active on the Twitter these days, but you may send him a courier pigeon.